Book Recommendation: Marketing ROI by James D. Lenskold

Taking an investment approach to marketing expenditures is the ideal for marketers and the organization, but getting there is, quite simply, difficult. Implementing a marketing ROI process can not only be complex, it often requires the buy-in of senior management. Jim Lenskold’s excellent book, Marketing ROI, takes a serious look at properly determining and successfully implementing a marketing ROI process at your company and acknowledges that there is no “one size fits all” answer. Indeed, these processes must be adapted for individual corporate environments. Marketing ROI addresses common errors marketers make in calculating marketing ROI and challenges of tracking various types of campaigns.

This book stands far apart from both the shallow and overly dry articles as well as the exaggerated claims some consultants and marketers often make concerning this topic. Be advised, there is a significant amount of content on finance and calculations for a marketing book. After all, the topic is financial. Still, Lenskold’s book approaches this topic with the required seriousness, while being interesting to read.

Marketing ROI should be read by all senior marketers and its concepts thoroughly considered and discussed by CMOs and CFOs. If you are the head of marketing for your organization, I recommend you buy two copies of this book, the first for yourself, and the second for the CFO. If you are somewhere below the head of marketing, buy three copies.

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Peter DeLegge is the publisher of Marketing Today. He has nearly twenty years experience in marketing and advertising and has held marketing management positions at Fortune 200 and medium size firms. To contact Mr. DeLegge regarding consulting, speaking engagements or media interviews, please email <peterdl@hotmail.com>.